Archives for February 2018

Reviewed by Sara

First Kiss of Spring follows Caitlin, a successful textile designer, who has decided she’s ready to settle down, make babies and open a daycare back in her hometown of Eternity Springs. Before her big move, she attends a wedding. In her duties as a bridesmaid, she meets Josh, invites him to be her plus-one and BAM! decides he’s the one. Once back in Eternity Springs, Caitlin makes it her mission to win Josh and show him how good they could be together.

Josh has an adorable dog and meets adorable Caitlin, but he’s got a dark past and isn’t into commitment. Although, he doesn’t mind if Caitlin comes over for a booty call or two, so long as the cast of wacky townsfolk don’t find out. [Read more…]

Reviewed by Jen

This is book six in Meredith Duran’s Rules for the Reckless series, but if you haven’t read the earlier installments, don’t worry. I didn’t read them either and not only does this book stand-up fine all on its own, I didn’t want to put it down. I read the whole thing in one sitting.

Tortured heroes are my jam and Lockwood fits the bill in spades. The man was kidnapped right after his wedding and sent to a penal colony under a false name. For years, he was subjected to one misery after another. Only his survival instinct kept him alive and helped him topple his cruel captors. Now that he is back in England, he is on a mission for vengeance against the greedy cousin who arranged for his captivity. Sadly, he wasn’t thinking much about the wife he left behind. [Read more…]

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Reviewed by Shelly

This book made me sad. Parents are dead. They have no aunts, uncles, grandparents, nothing. All the current generation of Sinclairs have are their siblings, spouses, and cousins. How depressing is that? Seems slightly like pandering for sympathy from the audience. But maybe it’s me. Then Tessa and her brother, Liam, don’t have living parents either. What?! That’s over the top. No one has parents. Just a case of the sad all the way around.

Micah Sinclair is one of the cousins to the Sinclair brothers from books 1, 2, & 3. There are three cousins who I believe get their own books. I’m not sure I’m gonna make it to the end of the series.

I keep hoping for some great piece of writing that’s going to just draw me in and I keep getting disappointed. I keep hoping for an awesome hero who doesn’t devolve into gutter language as soon as he sees the heroine. I keep getting disappointed. I keep hoping for a heroine that I’m going to point at and say I wanna be just like you when I grow up. I keep getting disappointed; that’s not to say that I’ve not liked the previous heroines. I have liked them; they’re passable, but they’re not great. But maybe they’re not supposed to be great; maybe they’re just supposed to be OK. [Read more…]

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Reviewed by Joanna

I saw this recommended, via a Facebook group, as a short, sexy, OTT romance and, in some respects, it didn’t disappoint. Mostly because it gave me a good laugh. Without meaning make fun, as for a while I assumed it was intended to be a parody, I can summarize the opening of the book thus:

Guy: I’m back in town and pissed at my dad. *screws hot blond in the bar’s bathroom* Ah, that’s better. Now I’m going to go to see Dad and give him a piece of my mind.

Woman: how super! I’ve got Mom and Stepdad’s house all to myself. *rubs own nipples in the shower and wishes for hot sex* Wait! Who is that handsome stranger in the kitchen?[Read more…]

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Reviewed by Sara

Hunting Witch Hazel is the first book in Heather Novak’s Lynch Brothers series and the premise caught my attention right away. Hazel is a witch whose life is in ruins since her father abandoned her family and her mother gave into a dark magic addiction. Now, she is struggling to juggle her mother’s debts, grief over her sister’s death, a full college schedule and a job. Grayson, on the other hand, is a retired witch-hunter who’s back in the game in order to collect Hazel’s magic and save his brother. Problem is, Grayson wants Hazel, but stealing her magic will ensure she never wants anything to do with him again. Grayson’s older brother has given him one week to obtain Hazel’s powers or he’ll do it, and he won’t be nice about it.

Hunting Witch Hazel had a lot of potential, but really fell flat for me. [Read more…]

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Reviewed by Jen

As much as I’ve enjoyed this series –and I still do– this was probably the weakest installment for me at this point. This was primarily for two reasons: the hero and the heroine.

Wait. Wait. Stay with me. Let’s talk about the heroine first. This is Zynda’s book. She’s the Tala cousin to Ursula, Andi, and Ami. (If you don’t know who those women are, now seems like a good time to direct you to start this series at the beginning. I can’t imagine this sixth installment would be a satisfying standalone.) Anyway, Zynda has always been a character who has played her cards close to the vest, and in this book, her secrets are finally revealed. She is looking to meet up with the dragon freed in Dafne’s book in order to learn how to shift into a dragon herself. She believes this Final Form will give her the ability to guide her people into better fertility and healthier babies. [Read more…]

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Reviewed by Jen

It’s been a while since I’ve given a new Urban Fantasy a try; I guess that’s partly because so many of them follow the same formula. You know, a young snarky woman who doesn’t seem that special suddenly becomes special and then turns out to be stronger/smarter/or generally more special than anyone expected, then falls in love with a sexy alpha guy before vanquishing the Big Bad. Those are the bones of 90% of the UF series out there, and honestly, at this point I only stick with the authors I know are going to do it best. What drew me to this book, is that it breaks from that formula in virtually every way. And I am happy to report… it did not disappoint. [Read more…]

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Reviewed by Ronelle

The vast and frozen empire of Russalka has been ruled for centuries by a royal family who works miracles from the saints. But neglect of the people stirs rebellion in the streets and a neighboring country is on the verge of invasion. On the eve of her beloved brother’s funeral banquet, the young princess Katza is presented as the next heir to the throne. But it is a terrifying prospect for her as, since she was a child, she’s been tormented by visions of her bloodied hands destroying Russalka—a clear message from the saints that she must never rule.

Then she meets Ravin, a mysterious prophet with visions of his own: visions of Katza as a regal empress with unimaginable power. All she has to do is seize upon the holy magic of her bloodline. But the more Ravin whispers in her ear, the more Katza begins to wonder whether he has her best interests at heart. With revolution boiling over and war looming at the border, the greatest threat to Russalka may be Katza herself. [Read more…]

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Reviewed by Jen

Kelly Bowen is becoming one of my go-to authors for historical romance. I think this one is my favorite from her to date! It’s got an independent heroine and a hero who has pulled himself up from the streets to financial success. August is shrewd, but he has so much to learn. And thankfully, not only is Clara there to teach him, he’s not too stubborn to grow.

These two have a history. Many years ago, he asked her to dance on a dare, but was shocked by how captivating her found her. Now, he finds himself back in her orbit because she has something he wants. And sentimentality won’t stop him from doing what needs to be done.

Clara runs a school for young ladies. She doesn’t know it, but August has purchased the building she uses to teach her classes. Not only that, he has his sights set on buying her family’s shipping company too. Lucky for him, his younger sister enrolled in her summer session in the country, giving him an excuse to ingratiate himself into Clara’s life. [Read more…]

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Reviewed by Shelly

Evan Sinclair is my favorite Sinclair brother. He’s the eldest and he takes his responsibilities as head of the Sinclair family very seriously. He’s uptight. He’s got a thing for neatness. He doesn’t own a pair of jeans. He doesn’t eat junk food. Yet, he’s wonderfully imperfect in many ways and not anywhere being ready for a most massive takedown.

Miranda ‘Randi’ Taylor is not my favorite heroine in this series; that’s reserved for Sara from book 1, but she’s an excellent foil for uptight Evan. She’s a local school teacher who’s friends with the ladies from the previous books so she’s been mentioned before. If you didn’t read the prior book(s) I don’t think you’re missing anything because there’s not much interaction to get lost in.

During a random email exchange about funding for the local Community Center in Amesport between ‘S’ and ‘R’ a rocky conversation eventually evolves into a steady friendship. There’s a bit of a secret identity thing with the email but it doesn’t last long thankfully. However, I will say that Evan not telling Randi about know who she is rang false. It’s a nonsense plot point that made for a silly argument. [Read more…]